Running board or other tread member



Feb. 21, 192s; l

- 1,660,308 B. BRoNsoN RUNNING BOARD OR OTHER TREAD MEMBER Filed Nov. 17. 1926 n erzo 1 @La www i Patented-Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED Sfifaila:s-v PATENT ,olFFFIcE. A

LAKEWOOD. OHIO, SSIGNORTO THE OHIO RUBBER COMPANY, 01

Bunn BnoNsoN. or y CLEVELAND, oHIo, ,A CORPORATION or; oHIo.

RUNNING BARD on oriana TnnAn- MEMBER. v

applicati-n me@ November' 17, 192e. "serial No. 148,842.

rI-his invention relates to running boards and other'tread members and covers certain modications in thedevice constituting .the

subject matter of my prior application Sert ial No..62,981, filed October 17, 1925. l

In my prior `application there is disclosed a tread member-adapted4 forrunning boards body.

. The article disclosed in said application has proved to be verysatisfactory, butthat constituting the subject matter of the present application embodies certain improvements, particularly in the shape of the metal body and the manner in which the rubber covering is interlocked with thebody.

, The invention may bebricy summarized as consisting in certain novel details of con- 'struction and combinationsand-arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims. p

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein I have shown my invention embodied in a running boaifd for motor vehicles, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of th'e running `board with part of the rubber covering re-' moved; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional `view on a somewhat larger scale; Fig. '3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on a still larger scale; Fig. 4 is a similarA view showing a modification; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View 40 substantially along the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, the. scale being substantially the-same as ink but inwardly of the lbead there isa groove 15 which extends entirely around the metal' body just inside the bea t,

The` depression -inside the bead is illed with a sheet 16 of non-metallic materialconsisting preferably of a sheet of rubber molded and vulcanized tothe metal body and also inter-locked therewith. The top of this sheet or layer of rubber may be smooth or may have any suitableconfiguration, but

it is preferably ribbed with the ribs extend- Gti ing lengthwise of the running board. vIt is to be'noted that by reason ofthe groovel -inthe metal base, the rubber has'a thickened margin. -i

The surface of the rubber where it joins the bead maybe slightly below the top of the bead, as in my prior application referred to; it may be substantially ush with the =top of the bead, as lillustrated in Fig. 2; or

it may be slightly above the same, as indi-,76 y cated ,in Fig. 4, where the rubber covering is designated 16a..

f As stated above, the sheet of rubber 16 is inter-locked with the metal base. This interlocking can .be accomplished in various ways, as by forming openings in the base-of the sheet metal body so that the rubber will fill these openings, this being particularly effective as an interlock if the rubber lugs the openings are given expanded or l rivet -eads on the lower surface of the sheet metal body or it can be accomplished by striking up locking portions such as loops or straps from the base of the sheet metal body so that they will be embedded in the rubber; or both" the perforations and the straps may be employed. Regardless of the method of interlocking utilized, it is the feature of -theinvention that the rubber is interlocked with the metal base at its thickened margin as well as at intervals inside the margin. In this connection, I might point outlthat there isa two-fold advantage vobtained by providing the groove in the A'2, 3 andv 5, metal straps 1.7 are struck from the base of the groove 15, preferably at intervals all around the groove.l straps, which, in the embodimentshown, ex-

tend lengthwise-of the groove andare bestillustrated. in Fig. 5, are thus embedded in the thickened marginal lportion of the rub-` ber. Additionally, the at vbase 14 is provided at intervals with perforations 18, and these are iilled with locking lugs 19 of the rubber which in the molding operation fills these openings as well as the spaces beneath the straps 177 and the openings in the -lar rivet heads may be formed on the vrubber lugsfilling'the openings in the construe tion illustrated in Fig. 3 even though the metal straps 17 are employed.

If the rubber 'extending through the openings is made ushvwith thelower surface of the metal', the latter, during the molding and vulcanizing operation, rests upon a flat mold body, but .when the' rivet heads are to be formed it is only necessary to provide in the mold body suitably shaped depressions in4 line with the openings 1n the sheet metal body 10. I

- y 4It will thus be seen that I have provided a tread member formed o-sheet steel andnon-metallic tread material, the parts being sov formed andunited thatA there 1s produced vvhat 'in eiect is a unitary structure possess. 111g wearing qualities of the tread surface and assurance against this surface being pulledv loose notwithstanding rough usage.

While I have.illustrated my invention api plied to a board for motor-vehicles,

These great strengthanddurability in the' I do desire to limit my invention tothe i specific disclosure herein.

Having thus describedgmy invention, what I claim is:

l. In an article of the' character described,

a body of sheet metal having a raised mar- Y' ginal portion forming la shallow depression having a generally flat bottom surface of substantially uniform distance beneath the upper edge of said raised marginal porn tion, lsaid body having spaced perforations throughout the area of said depression, and

a sheet of material molded Within said de-v reesion and extending through said perorat1ons. v

2.' In an article of the character described,

p /a body of sheet metal having a raised maiA ginal ortion, forming al shallow depression. there ing a groove inwardly of the raised marginal ,portion land ad'acent thereto and inwardly of the' groove t e base of the depression being substantially fiat and-.sp'aced4 `a-substantially uniform distance beneath theraised mar inal portion, said body having spaced per orations throughout the area-of molded within said depression and having integral portions extending through said perforations to interlock with said body.

3. A running board for: motor vehicles said depression, and a sheet of material y comprising a vbody of sheet metal having a? raised marginal portion, forming aY shallow depression. iaving a substantially flat .base and spaced a substantially uniform distance beneath the upper edOe of the raised ,marf

ginal portion, said body having spaced perforations throughout the area of' said depression, anda sheet of rubber molded and vulcanized within said depression and hav-l expanding beyond said perforations to interlock with said body.`

.85 s I ing integral portions extending through and l yIn testimony whereof, I hereunto atlix my signature.

.Bunn BRoNsoN. 

